Victoria woman shot while preparing dinner for her family

By JPREYSS@VICAD.COM
April 10, 2011 at 8:04 p.m.Updated April 9, 2011 at 11:10 p.m.

Guadalupe Sanabria stands in the front room of her house the day after a drive-by shooter fired about 20 rounds into it from the street, injuring her daughter-in-law, 27-year-old Adriana Lopez. Sanabria's family, including four children under the age of 9, were all home for a barbecue at the time.

While standing in the kitchen preparing dinner with her family Saturday night, 27-year-old Adriana Lopez was shot in the back of the neck.

The shooting occurred about 9:25 p.m. at Lopez's home near the intersection of Harry and Northeast Water streets in Victoria.

"We were getting ready to eat and all of a sudden we heard a pop. And then we heard 20 more pops at the same time," Lopez's mother-in-law, Guadalupe Sanabria, said Sunday, describing the shooting that put Lopez in the hospital with critical injuries.

Sanabria, who owns the home where the incident took place, said someone drove by and shot 20 bullets through her living room, shattering windows, a big-screen television and striking her daughter-in-law in the neck. Lopez was standing in the rear of the kitchen at the time of the shooting. About eight people were in the kitchen, including Sanabria, Lopez, Lopez's husband Michael, and their three small children.

"They could have shot one of the kids," Sanabria said. "I'm scared for my life, I really am. This time, we were just innocent bystanders."

About two hours before the shooting, Sanabria said she saw several passengers in a black Chevrolet Impala and a gray Chevrolet Impala attempting to start a fight in the front of her property. As the fight escalated, Sanabria said she called the police.

"When the black car came into my yard, I told them, 'You're trespassing,' and asked them to leave," she said. "We were barbecuing and all the grandkids were over. We thought it ended when I told them to leave."

Sanabria, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and shares the home with Adriana, Michael and their three children, said she didn't know the individuals fighting in front of her home and thinks they were responsible for the shooting.

"I know mostly everyone who lives around here, and I didn't know them," she said.

Victoria Police Lt. Michael Tatum said no arrests have been made in the shooting and investigators do not have any leads on suspects.

Tatum said an investigation is ongoing to look for suspects and vehicles that match the family's description.

Lopez was taken to Citizens Medical Center on Saturday night, where Sanabria said she was in stable condition Sunday. Hospital officials declined to comment on her condition.

"She can't move her neck, and doctors won't take the bullet out yet or it might paralyze her," her mother-in-law said.

Sanabria said she temporarily sent her grandchildren to other family members homes, and she, too, planned to vacate her residence until "things calm down."

"I'm not going to stay here while this is going on. My kids are scared for themselves and for me, and my family comes first," she said.